The Armenian team repeated their triumph of Turin in 2006 in winning the gold medal at the Dresden Olympiad last month. Despite being seeded only ninth of the 154 teams taking part in the Open section (the Women's event will be covered in a later column), the team of Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, Arshak Petrosian and Artashes Minasian lost only two individual games in finishing first on 19 match points out of 22. The silver medals went to 8th seeded Israel on 18 points with the 10th seeded USA taking the bronze on 18 – just beating the Ukraine on tie-break after a miraculous last round 3½-½ win over their 2nd seed rivals.
The New Zealand team had a mixed event, despite high hopes from being lead by grandmaster Murray Chandler for the first time since 1980. Starting with an upset loss to Trinidad & Tobago, the 71st seeds recovered well in the middle culminating in an historic 2½ -1½ upset victory over 29th seeds Bosnia & Herzegovnia in the 7th round. The remaining rounds saw the team outclassed by higher rated opposition, eventually finishing 97th in the standings. While Chandler (board 1), FM Roger Nokes (4) and FM Stephen Lukey (5) had moderately good results, these were outweighed by IM Russell Dive's (2) and FM Bob Smith's (3) relative lack of form.
Todays game is GM Chandler's win on board one against GM Pedrag Nikolic which lead the way to victory over Bosnia & Herzegovnia. Chandler has the white pieces.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. d4 Bg4
The main line Closed Ruy Lopez. White's omission of 9 h3 allows this pin and can lead to a pawn sacrifice on d4, but here Chandler elects to push the pawn, no doubt having prepared well for his opponent. 10. d5 Na5 11. Bc2 c6 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 cxd5 14. exd5 Nc4 15. Nd2 Nb6 16. Nf1 Qc7 17. Ng3 g6 18. Bh6 Rfb8
In a previous game J. Polgar - P. Nikolic 1995, Black played 18 ... Rfc8 instead, with White playing for a similar kingside attack involving h4-h5 as happens here, eventually winning. 19. Rad1 Ne8 20. Nf5! Bf8
Not 20 ... gxf5?? 21 Qxf5 forcing mate on h7. White's move has the effect of exchanging the two main black defenders of the kingside while keeping the black queen away. 21. Qg3 Ng7 22. Nxg7 Bxg7 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 24. h4 b4 25. Rd3 Re8 26. h5 e4?! 27. h6+! Kf8
Retaining the pawn on e4 and trying to close the kingside. Taking on h6 with 27 ... Kxh6 allows 28 Qf4+ Kg7 29 Rxe4 regaining the pawn with an imposing central position for White. The effect of White's zwischenzug is to leaving the black pieces having to defend against a permanent threat of Qg7+ while White switches the action to the queenside. 28. Rd4 bxc3 29. bxc3 f5 30. Ba4! Nxa4 31. Rxa4 Re5 32. c4 Qf7 33. f4! ---
An important move. Rather than go after the a-pawn with 33 Qa3, White simultaneously forces open the long diagonal to tie down the Black pieces and blockades the black f-pawn to prevent counterplay by an f5-f4 advance. 33. --- Re7 34. Qc3 Kg8 35. Rb4! Qf8 36. Reb1 Rae8
Black might have better impeded White's plan of queenside infiltration with his pieces with 36 ... e3!? at the risk of losing connection with his advanced pawn. 37. Qe3 Qxh6 38. Rb6 Rc7 39. Rxd6 Rxc4 40. Rc6! ---
Sacrificing a pawn to gain an important tempo in advancing his passed pawn. 40. --- Rxc6 41. dxc6 Qf8 42. Rb7 ---
With the arrival of a rook on the seventh rank Black is defenceless against the combined promotion and mating threats. 42. --- Qf6
Or 42 ... Rd8 43 Qb3+ Kh8 44 Qc3+ Kg8 45 Qc4+ Kh8 46 c7 Rc8 47 Rb8 Rxb8 48 Qd4+ Kg8 49 Qd5+ Kg7 50 Qe5+ winning. 43. Qb3+ Kf8 44. Qb4+ Kg8 45. Qc4+ Kf8 46. c7 Qa1+ 47. Kh2 Qe1
A last hope for a perpetual check on e1 and h4. 48. Qb4+ Resigns
After 48 ... Qxb4 49 Rxb4 the c-pawn will cost a rook.
Armenia defend Olympiad gold
Problem: Black to play and mate in three.
The Armenian team repeated their triumph of Turin in 2006 in winning the gold medal at the Dresden Olympiad last month. Despite being seeded only ninth of the 154 teams taking part in the Open section (the Women's event will be covered in a later column), the team of Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, Arshak Petrosian and Artashes Minasian lost only two individual games in finishing first on 19 match points out of 22. The silver medals went to 8th seeded Israel on 18 points with the 10th seeded USA taking the bronze on 18 – just beating the Ukraine on tie-break after a miraculous last round 3½-½ win over their 2nd seed rivals.
The New Zealand team had a mixed event, despite high hopes from being lead by grandmaster Murray Chandler for the first time since 1980. Starting with an upset loss to Trinidad & Tobago, the 71st seeds recovered well in the middle culminating in an historic 2½ -1½ upset victory over 29th seeds Bosnia & Herzegovnia in the 7th round. The remaining rounds saw the team outclassed by higher rated opposition, eventually finishing 97th in the standings. While Chandler (board 1), FM Roger Nokes (4) and FM Stephen Lukey (5) had moderately good results, these were outweighed by IM Russell Dive's (2) and FM Bob Smith's (3) relative lack of form.
Todays game is GM Chandler's win on board one against GM Pedrag Nikolic which lead the way to victory over Bosnia & Herzegovnia. Chandler has the white pieces.
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6
5. O-O Be7
6. Re1 b5
7. Bb3 d6
8. c3 O-O
9. d4 Bg4
The main line Closed Ruy Lopez. White's omission of 9 h3 allows this pin and can lead to a pawn sacrifice on d4, but here Chandler elects to push the pawn, no doubt having prepared well for his opponent.
10. d5 Na5
11. Bc2 c6
12. h3 Bxf3
13. Qxf3 cxd5
14. exd5 Nc4
15. Nd2 Nb6
16. Nf1 Qc7
17. Ng3 g6
18. Bh6 Rfb8
In a previous game J. Polgar - P. Nikolic 1995, Black played 18 ... Rfc8 instead, with White playing for a similar kingside attack involving h4-h5 as happens here, eventually winning.
19. Rad1 Ne8
20. Nf5! Bf8
Not 20 ... gxf5?? 21 Qxf5 forcing mate on h7. White's move has the effect of exchanging the two main black defenders of the kingside while keeping the black queen away.
21. Qg3 Ng7
22. Nxg7 Bxg7
23. Bxg7 Kxg7
24. h4 b4
25. Rd3 Re8
26. h5 e4?!
27. h6+! Kf8
Retaining the pawn on e4 and trying to close the kingside. Taking on h6 with 27 ... Kxh6 allows 28 Qf4+ Kg7 29 Rxe4 regaining the pawn with an imposing central position for White. The effect of White's zwischenzug is to leaving the black pieces having to defend against a permanent threat of Qg7+ while White switches the action to the queenside.
28. Rd4 bxc3
29. bxc3 f5
30. Ba4! Nxa4
31. Rxa4 Re5
32. c4 Qf7
33. f4! ---
An important move. Rather than go after the a-pawn with 33 Qa3, White simultaneously forces open the long diagonal to tie down the Black pieces and blockades the black f-pawn to prevent counterplay by an f5-f4 advance.
33. --- Re7
34. Qc3 Kg8
35. Rb4! Qf8
36. Reb1 Rae8
Black might have better impeded White's plan of queenside infiltration with his pieces with 36 ... e3!? at the risk of losing connection with his advanced pawn.
37. Qe3 Qxh6
38. Rb6 Rc7
39. Rxd6 Rxc4
40. Rc6! ---
Sacrificing a pawn to gain an important tempo in advancing his passed pawn.
40. --- Rxc6
41. dxc6 Qf8
42. Rb7 ---
With the arrival of a rook on the seventh rank Black is defenceless against the combined promotion and mating threats.
42. --- Qf6
Or 42 ... Rd8 43 Qb3+ Kh8 44 Qc3+ Kg8 45 Qc4+ Kh8 46 c7 Rc8 47 Rb8 Rxb8 48 Qd4+ Kg8 49 Qd5+ Kg7 50 Qe5+ winning.
43. Qb3+ Kf8
44. Qb4+ Kg8
45. Qc4+ Kf8
46. c7 Qa1+
47. Kh2 Qe1
A last hope for a perpetual check on e1 and h4.
48. Qb4+ Resigns
After 48 ... Qxb4 49 Rxb4 the c-pawn will cost a rook.
1-0
Solution: 1 ... Qxf2+! 2 Kxf2 Rg2+ & 3 ... Re2#.